A political controversy erupted after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was seen seated among the audience instead of on the stage during the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament & Development ceremony. The event was presided over by Sonia Gandhi, who chairs the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, but Kharge remained off the dais throughout.
The visuals soon went viral, prompting the BJP to accuse the Congress of disrespecting its own party president. BJP leaders circulated an edited video on X, juxtaposing two contrasting moments: one showing Kharge bowing with folded hands as he greeted Sonia Gandhi, and another showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi bending to touch L. K. Advani’s feet before hugging him.
The BJP captioned the video with the phrase “Sanskar Apne Apne”, implying a difference in how senior leaders are treated in the Congress and the BJP.
Congress has not issued a formal clarification on why Kharge was not on stage, but the optics have given the BJP fresh ammunition for political attacks. The episode comes amid ongoing debates over hierarchy and internal functioning within both national parties.
Originally published on 24×7-news.com.
